Insight 1: Club Culture Is Key

In 2016, Football Queensland partnered with SBP to conduct Stakeholder (Coaches and Club Administrators) and Participant surveys designed to measure and benchmark the community football experience.

The primary objective of the Participant survey was to understand and benchmark the variables that contribute to player satisfaction with the football experience and impact on loyalty.

One such finding determines club culture as a major contributing factor to a positive participant experience as assessed by the Net Promoter System (NPS).

Football Queensland is providing this and other key findings to clubs so we can work together to ultimately improve the experience of all participants.

WHAT IS THE NET PROMOTER SYSTEM (NPS)?

In simple terms, the Net Promoter System assesses loyalty through the NPS score indicator, which is calculated as the % of Promoters minus the % of Detractors.

WHAT ARE THE FINDINGS?

Club cultures with great team spirit and friendly community-minded environments have been identified as the key drivers of the participant experience.

Participants regarded a great team spirit (39%) and friendly community atmosphere (30%) as the top two reasons for holding a positive opinion of their club.

Conversely, participants identified poor organisation (24%) and negative politics at the club (13%) among their top five reasons for not being promoters of their club.

Males in the 5-16 age bracket currently have the lowest NPS score of any group. A unique pain point for them are issues with grading of individuals and teams which generally arises from insufficient communication and transparency of grading systems.

SIMPLE SUGGESTIONS:

Welcome new members with an email or phone call upon registration.

Instigate community-building non-football initiatives at both team and club level (e.g. trivia and movie nights, wine and cheese evenings, family days, FIFA tournaments for juniors).

Issue a club newsletter providing updates on news and events and addressing any concerns as required. Contact Football Queensland’s media and marketing team if you require technical advice.

Distribute information/FAQ sheets to parents of trialling players clarifying the club’s trial process, how many players will be selected in each squad and the attributes sought by coaches/selectors.

Directly contact members who have not yet re-registered via call, email or text.